Review: Every Little Thing in the World

Book: Every Little Thing in the World
Author: Nina de Gramont
Pages: 288
Published: MArch 23rd, 2010

A teenager. A pregnancy. A familiar story. NOT

When sixteen-year-old Sydney Biggs’s pregnancy test shows the tell tale plus sign, she confides in only her best friend Natalia, and Natalia promptly “borrows” her mother’s car so Sydney can confront the baby’s father. But after the car is reported stolen and police bring the girls home, their parents send them away to wilderness camp as punishment. With six weeks to spend in the wilds of Canada, time is ticking for Sydney, who isn’t sure what she wants to do about the pregnancy. As she befriends her fellow adventuremates and contends with Natalia’s adamant opinions on the choices available, Sydney realizes that making the right choice can mean very different things.

General Overview: I really wasn't expecting to like this book so much! To me, the whole idea of teen pregnancy is really overplayed, and it's portrayed very unrealistically in the media. But I thought Every Little Thing in the World was a fantastic debut and it surprised me how much I liked it.

Characters: I loved Sydney's narrative. She was such a genuine character, and she spoke her mind even if sometimes she was a bit afraid to stand up for herself. She sounded and acted like a real teenager, and I found that refreshing for once. So many books have teenagers that are overly perfect or overly whiny and that is not how all teenagers are. I guess I did like all of the characters (except Natalia. She really annoyed me, though I guess I did like her to a certain extent as well. Just...not as much) even if some of them were a little stereotypical.

Plot: This is a typical pregnancy story...with a twist. I loved the idea of having this girl, who's stuck in such a terrible situation, who also has to deal with surviving in the Canadian wilderness. It was interesting to see how Sydney coped with the challenges she had to deal with, and I admired her courage and persistence. There wasn't a single time where I felt the book was dragging or moved too quickly. The ending took me by surprise, and though her choice isn't the one I would have made had I been in her position, throughout the book you sympathize with her and because most of her thoughts revolve around her pregnancy, you understand what led her to make that choice.

Writing: de Gramont is a great writer. Her descriptions of the Canadian wilderness were apt and realistic (as confirmed by my Canadian friend. Thanks Sabi!) and made me kind of wish I was there too. Nothing in the book was exaggerated or underplayed, and I really enjoyed that factor of it. Too many times the author adds too much information or too little, and that was certainly not the case with this book.

Cover: The model is pretty close to how I imagined Sydney! At first glance, you can't really tell that this is going to be a book about a pregnant teenager, but I thought the cover drew me in all the same.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars